Flood-Prone Cranston Homes to be Torn Down

CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) _ Work crews are set to begin demolishing six homes in Cranston that are prone to flooding from the nearby Pawtuxet River.

The city is using $1.2 million in federal funding to buy the homes on Perkins Avenue and knock them down to help eliminate the problem. Several homes on the street were damaged during the flooding of March 2010.

Demolition of the first house is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Mayor Allan Fung and U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse will take part in a ceremony beforehand marking the latest phase of the buyout program.

Several homes closest to the river at the end of the dead-end street are now boarded up. Many residents in the neighborhood moved away after the flooding in 2010.